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If your number one priority for home theater is great sound, then check out Cambridge Audio's Azur 351R. It's a 5.1-channel receiver engineered with a single goal: to make your music and movies sound their absolute best. Rather than including unnecessary features that introduce interference into the signal path, Cambridge Audio built the Azur 351R with audiophile-grade components for uncompromised sonic fidelity. So you can enjoy the benefits of surround sound without worrying about musical details being degraded or left behind.

The music lover's home theater receiver

If your number one priority for home theater is great sound, then check out Cambridge Audio's Azur 351R. It's a 5.1-channel receiver engineered with a single goal: to make your music and movies sound their absolute best. Rather than including unnecessary features that introduce interference into the signal path, Cambridge Audio built the Azur 351R with audiophile-grade components for uncompromised sonic fidelity. So you can enjoy the benefits of surround sound without worrying about musical details being degraded or left behind.

It's all about the sound

The 351R's impressive audio performance starts with its large toroidal power supply. Found in the highest quality audio components, this type of supply ensures plenty of clean, low-noise power for a purer signal. The all-metal chassis dampens resonance to minimize distortion and interference as well providing a durable exterior. And Cambridge's unique X-Tract™ cooling system ensures quiet operation, so whispered dialogue or delicate vocals don't have to compete with loud mechanical whirring.

Advanced digital processing you can turn off

No matter the source, the Azur 351R has you covered — in two channels or five. For CDs and Blu-ray discs, high-quality Cirrus Logic digital signal processing and digital-to-analog converters deliver music and movie soundtracks with fullness and accuracy in stereo and in the latest high-resolution surround sound formats. If you're connecting sources via the analog stereo inputs, then select Analogue Stereo Direct mode to disengage all the circuitry except what is required to ensure the highest fidelity. It's ideal for phono preamps, outboard DACs, and high-end disc players with analog outputs, so their signals are free from electronic clutter.

Simple setup

You don't need to be an electrical engineer to get the Azur 351R up and running. Its streamlined design makes it a snap to set up. With 4 HDMI inputs, there's plenty of room for Blu-ray players, cable boxes, and streaming media players like Apple TV®. Once your speakers are connected, plug in the included setup microphone and run Cambridge Audio's automatic speaker calibration. It properly configures your system's sound to account for speaker placement as well as room dimensions and acoustics to ensure well-balanced surround sound.

Cambridge Audio Azur 351R Reviews

Great Sound, horrible implementation

I was looking for a home theater receiver with audiophile audio features, and found this unit to fit the bill. However it had a number of implementation details that I couldn't live with, so I ended up sending it back and trading up (a bit) for an NAD T758. Let me state up front that in my opinion the sound quality of the NAD T758 is not quite as good as the CA 351R. However, the Azur 351R had the annoying "feature" of turning itself off after a few minutes of idle time. This perhaps wasn't too much of an inconvenience, but it would also forget the volume level you had set previously, so each time this happened I would have to re-adjust the volume and settings. Eventually we noticed that the unit would even turn itself off while playing a movie if you paused the movie for a moment. I originally thought this might be some kind of energy saving feature that I could disable, but couldn't find anything, and Crutchfield support suggested that the unit should not be doing this. Crutchfield is awesome, they suggested RMAing the first one I got, and sent me a second unit, but it had exactly the same problem. The second technical problem both units I tried had is that music wouldn't start playing immediately. I would put a CD in the blu-ray player and press play, and sound would only start coming out of the speakers 1-2 seconds into the track. For CD's where the music starts immediately the beginning of the song would be cut off.

Pros:Excellent sound quality

Cons:Poor implementation; the unit would turn itself off after a few minutes of idle time, and there was no way to disable this feature, and music wouldn't start playing right away so that the beginnings of songs were often cut off.

6 of 6 found this helpful

Cambridge azur 351

Five star sound but three star features - Delivers on sound but not on features - great sound. But if you are upgrading from a budget but feature-laden receiver you will need to get used to less features
I also gave it one star less because two of the published features were DOA on two units - the single optical didn't work and the record outputs were dead
Also support follow up from cambridge was patchy - they promised to investigate and did't get back to me
Bottom line - I am keeping the unit for the sound quality but not 100% satisfied

Pros:Sound quality

Cons:Fewer features than budget models and more poorly executed

6 of 8 found this helpful

Great Sound

Great sound for those with a 5.1 surround system. The automatic setup did not detect my surround speakers, but it was easy to set up the system manually. This little receiver is very powerful and has a great power reserve for dynamic punch. Dialogue is clear and the sound with my blu-ray player is very engaging.

5 Discrete Amplifiers: Seven discrete amplifiers driven by a low-flux
toroidal transformer are separated from the processing and input stages
delivering ultra-low noise and distortion, thereby guaranteeing performance
without compromise. This careful design of the amplifier stages ensure that the
351R
can reproduce the dynamics required for movie and music soundtracks. The 5
channel amplifier is rated at 70 watts with 2 channels driven (1kHz, 8-ohms,
0.006% THD) or 50 watts with all 7 channels driven (1kHz, 8-ohms, 0.006% THD).

24-bit/192-kHz DACs: The Cambridge Audio azur 351R
utilizes
a 192 kHz/24 bit D/A converter on each of the unit's seven channels for
exceptional sound quality. The 192kHz sampling and 24-bit word length
capabilities of the DACs allows you to play high-resolution recordings and hear
the increased clarity, detail and dynamic range of those recordings.

Note: Dolby Digital and DTS listening modes can only be
selected if your audio source is connected to the AV receiver via a digital
audio connection (HDMI, optical or coaxial). Even though the AV receiver
will decode 7.1channel surround sound (via HDMI), it will only output 5.1ch
surround, because it lacks Surround Back channel speaker outputs.

Matrixed Surround Modes: These modes allow a surround-sound
experience from source material that has no encoding at all. The
surround sound effect is achieved by digital signal processing of
the analog or digital stereo source used. Five modes are possible;
Movie, Music, Room, Theatre, and Hall.

Stereo Modes:
The surround receiver also provides two-channel stereo
playback, as well as an analog stereo direct mode.

Stereo/Stereo + Sub:
Only the front left & front right
speakers (and subwoofer if selected) have output in this mode. If an
analog source is selected, it will be converted to digital via 24
bit A/D converters to allow digital domain sub creation and
bass/treble controls. If a digital source is selected, the 351R
will
be processing either LPCM stereo (from the digital outputs of a CD
player for instance) or a Stereo downmix of DD or DTS material (from
the digital output of a DVD player for instance).

Analog Stereo Direct:
Selects the analog inputs for the
current source directly with no A/D conversion, DSP processing,
Bass/Treble, or subwoofer channel active. Provides the very best
fidelity for analog Hi-Fi source equipment. In this mode the 351R
is
acting just like a normal Hi-Fi integrated amplifier.

Dolby Pro Logic II Music Settings: While listening in the
Dolby Pro Logic II Music format, there are three further enhancements
you can adjust.

Panorama: A Prologic
II mode that extends the front stereo image to the surround sound
speakers for a more enveloping experience. This mode can be either On/Off.

Dimension: Allows
gradual adjustment of the center image from being produced only by the
Center speaker (Setting 0) through levels of being spread between the center
channel and left and right speakers to finally being produced by the front
left and right speakers only (Phantom Center, Setting 7). Useful in
optimizing the front/center/right soundfield for best integration of the
three speakers.

Center Width: Adjusts
the soundfield to be gradually shifted from the front of the room to the
back to suit taste, speaker positioning, and size of room. Setting 0 has the
image furthest forward, 6 furthest back.

CAMCAS (Cambridge Audio Microphone Controlled Auto Setup): Cambridge
Audio's Microphone Controlled Auto Set-up (CAMCAS) tailors the 351R
's
performance to any room and comes complete with a microphone to complete this
simple procedure. The CAMCAS system performs two sets of tests; first checking
which speakers are connected and whether they are wired correctly and in phase,
then second automatically measuring and adjusting the speaker delay timings and
levels. You can also choose to manually setup the receiver's
speakers settings.

Speaker Crossover: Each speaker
(front/center/surround/surround back) and subwoofer crossover point can be adjusted from
40-150Hz (in 10Hz steps) and also to 200Hz.

LFE Trim: The LFE channel (for DD/DTS material) can also be
trimmed by up to 10dB (in 1dB steps); useful for late night listening or
other situations where it might be desired to reduce the low frequency
effect level temporarily.

Bass Augment: You can select whether to play front
channel low-frequencies through either the front speakers or the subwoofer,
or through both the subwoofer and front speakers.

Dynamic Range Control: This setting controls the dynamic range of
Dolby Digital movie soundtracks by compressing the audio to limit the difference
in level between loud and quiet passages in the movie. The receiver's Dynamic
Range Control can be set to Auto, On, or Off.

Digital Inputs: The azur 351R
features one digital optical input and
two coaxial digital inputs.

Binding Post Speaker Terminals: The receiver has binding-post terminals for
all speaker connections. The binding-post terminals can accept bare wire, pin
connectors, and banana plugs (single only). Speakers with an impedance of
between 4-8 ohms are recommended.

LFE Output: The azur 351R is equipped with a single LFE
output to connect a powered sub.

Headphone Output: The receiver features a 1/4" stereo
headphone jack on its front-panel for connecting a pair of optional
headphones. Plugging in a set of headphones will automatically mute the main
speakers and pre-amp outputs, while selecting a 2-channel stereo down-mix
soundfield. Headphones with an impedance of between 32-600 ohms are
recommended.

FM Tuner w/ RDS: The Cambridge Audio A/V receiver features a built-in
FM tuner with RDS. RDS is a method for the transmission of additional
information from local radio stations. RDS will
only work if the local broadcasting stations have RDS transmission and the
signal is strong enough. There is no AM tuner.

Video Features

HDMI (ver.1.4): The 351R boasts four HDMI (ver.1.4) inputs
and a single HDMI (ver.1.4) monitor output which fully support 3D, Deep color,
and Audio Return from newer flat-panel TVs. HDMI (High-Definition Multi-Media
Interface) is an all digital connection that can carry both audio/video in one
cable and supports various types of High Definition video content and high
resolution audio.

Note:
There are no analog video inputs or outputs.

3D Pass-Through: With the advent of 3D media, it is important to own a
receiver that recognizes 3D video signals. The 351R
is able to pass through 3D
signals from your Blu-ray player, ensuring that the 3D effect doesn't get lost
in translation. It also recognizes signals from 3D television broadcasts. By
connecting a 3D-compliant Blu-ray disc player and 3D-compliant TV to the 351R
,
you will have a 3D home theater where you can enjoy high-definition sound and
video on a level you've never experienced before.

Deep Color Support: The 351R
also supports Deep Color
content, which can display a larger color range than standard-definition
schemes. The result is a more lifelike, vibrant picture.

Audio Return Channel: This feature allows audio to be sent from your
compatible HDTV to your receiver through the same HDMI cable already being used
to send audio and video to your HDTV. This eliminates the need for extra cables
connected to your television.

Lipsync Adjustment: This feature compensates for the timing
shift between the audio and video of the receiver. If needed, the audio signal
can be manually delayed to match the video signal; adjust from 0-500ms (in 10ms
steps).

Convenience Features

Slim, Aesthetic Design: The Cambridge Audio azur 351R features a
slim designed chassis which measures only 16.9375" (w) x 4.1875" (h) x 14.6875" (d);
so it easily fits on a shelf or inside a cabinet.

On-Screen Display (via HDMI): The AV receiver's on-screen menu
provides quick information about your system's settings. You can easily make
settings for your home theater system while viewing menus on the TV
screen. Simple settings are enabled with the setting menus displayed on the TV
screen. These menu displays can only be output to your TV via HDMI. The unit's
front-panel LCD also displays the receiver's menu adjustments, as well as input
source.

X-Tract Cooling System: The Cambridge Audio azur 351R
employs a unique
cooling system called X-Tract. A perfectly balanced combination of forced
cooling and natural convection effectively draws heat away from the substantial
transformer and output stages and means the 351R
can operate extremely quietly,
at a low temperature and enables a more compact enclosure than would normally be
possible.

Backup Memory: The 351R
has a function that preserves the preset
memory and other settings. In the event of a power failure, or if the power cord
of the unit is disconnected from the mains outlet, the back-up memory will
preserve the preset memory for approximately one week. If the power supply is
interrupted for 7 days or longer, the memory settings will be erased.

Remote Control

IR Remote Control: The azur 351R
comes with an IR wireless
remote control that can operate this receiver only.

Remote Connections: The Cambridge Audio azur 351R
is fitted
with the following custom remote connections.

IR Input: This 3.5mm input is used to control the 351R
from an external
key-pad (sold separately).

RS232C Port: The RS-232C port is to be used in conjunction with
an external controller to control the operation of the unit by using an
external device. The RS-232C port may also be used in the future to update
the operating software of the unit so that it will be able to support new
digital audio formats.

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

If you purchased the product from Crutchfield, feel free to contact our Tech Support team. They can walk you through the settings on the product and see if there may be a fix. Our toll-free Tech Support number is printed on your invoice, and is also available under the "My Orders" tab in the "My Account" section of our website. If you did not purchase the unit from Crutchfield, then you may want to contact the manufacturer. You can also post your question in our forums: http://community.crutchfield.com. Or try our online support center: http://crutchfield.custhelp.com/app/answers/list/kw/.[ Jeff Jan 05, 2014 ] Staff